Let-off mechanism for looms.



H. BARDSLEY.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR ,LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1911 Patented 0013.6, 191 1 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. BARDSLEY.

LET-OPP MECHANISM FOR. LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1911. 1,1 1 2.668. Patented 001;. 6, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2i 7 THE N OkRIS PETERS Ct PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. BIC.

H. BARDSLEY.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 5, 1911.

1,1 12,668. Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

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TED STATES PATE rrion.

HENRY BARDSLEY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOB TO OROMETON 8t KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, A COR-IOBATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR LOOIVIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 6, 1914.

Application filed June 5, 1911. Serial No. 631,366.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY Banosnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Ithode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let0ff Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

h Iy invention relates to let off mechanism for looms, and particularly to a warp tension regulator in which a torsion spring or weight is used, to produce the tension on the warp beam and warp.

The object of invention is to improve upon the construction of the ordinary friction let off mechanism, which is adapted to automatically regulate the tension on the warp, as required.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction of my improvements as will be hereinafter fully described.

my improvements, I preferably employ a rope or chain, which passes around friction disk on the warp beam, and a helically coiled torsion spring, or a weight communicates tension to the rope or chain, and on the up and down movement of the whip roll, the tension on the rope or chain will be automatically increased, or decreased, to regulate the tension on the warp, as required.

I have only shown in the drawings a detached portion of a loom, and a let off mechanism, with my improvements in warp tension regulator combined therewith, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to understand the construction and operation thereof.

Referring to the drawings :-Figure 1 is an end view of a detached portion of a loom frame, and the warp beam, and my improvements in warp tension regulator combined therewith, looking in the direction of arrow 0, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 shows some of the parts shown in Fig. 1, detached, and in a different position. 3 is a rear view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of arrow 6, same figure. Fig. 4 is a section, on line 1, 41, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of arrow 0, same figure, showing an inner end view of the parts shown in the lower part of said Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear view of a. modified construction of my warp tension regulator, and Fig. 6 is a section, on line 6, 6, Fig. 5, looking in the direction of arrow 6, same figure.

end frame 1 has suitable bearings 1 for the journals 3 of the warp beam 3; only the beam head at one end of the warp beam is shown in the drawings. The beam head 3 has the brake member or friction disk 4 mg idly connected therewith, of any usual construction, and rotatable with the warpbeam 3. A suitable friction or brake member '5, which in the present instance isa rope or cord, is wound around the friction disk l, and cooperates therewith, and the pressure or drag exerted on the rope 5, deter mines the tension to which the warp is subjected by the let off mechanism. I have shown the friction member as a rope or cord, but it will be understood that a chain, strap, or band, or any other suitable means, may be used, instead of a rope, to obtain the desired friction. The warp 6 passes over the movable whip roll 7, toward the front of the loom. The whip roll 7 has its journal 7 loosely mounted in an open end slot 8 in a lever 8, see Fig. 1, which has its hub 8 secured upon a cross shaft 9. The shaft 9 has its ends journaled in a bearing 10 on a stand 10 secured to the loom side, see Fig. 3. Instead of the roll 7 a stationary bar or rod may be used. All of the above mentioned parts may be of any usual and well known construction.

I will now describe my improvements in warp tension regulator. Secured to the loom side 1 and cross girt 2, is a stand 11, see Figs. 1 and 4., which carries a horizontally extending stud 12. A drum 13, Fig. 1, is loosely mounted on the stud 12, which is preferably provided on one end with a ratchet 14, by which the drum 13 may be revolved, to loosen the friction rope 5, by operating the hand lever 15, having a pawl. 16 pivotally mounted thereon. A pawl 17 on the stand 11 is adaptedto engage and hold the ratchetl in the desired position. The drum 13 has a disk 13 thereon, see Fig. to which is secured one end of a helically coiled torsion spring18. The spring 18 encircles the hub of the drum 13, and has its other end connected to a worm gear 19, which has its hub 19 loosely mounted on the stud 12. The revolution of the worm gear 19, in one, or the other direction, causes the sprin 18 to be tightened or loosened, to give more or less tension to the rope 5 wound on the orum 13.

The worm gear 19 meshes with, and is operated at iei'vals, by a. worm 20, see llig. 3, which is in this instance fast on a'horizontally extending shaft 21, which is loosely mounted in bearings 11 on the stand 11. The outer end of the shaft 21 has secured thereon the ratchet wheels 22, and 23, which have their teeth in this instance extending in opposite directions,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

3.11 upright lever 24 has its hub 24 loosely mounted on the shaft 21, and has the downwardly extending arm 24", which is pivot-.

ally connected to a rod head 25, fromwhich a connector or rod 26 leads to an arm, not shown, on a rock shaft, not shown, from which a rocking motion is communicated to the upright lever 24. The upper arm of the upright lever 24 carries a stud 27, on which are loosely pivoted the hubs of two pawls 23, and 29, which in this instance are adapted to engage the ratchet wheels 22, and

23, respectively. A helically coiled torsion spring 30 acts to move downwardlyeither one of the pawls 28 and 29.

The pawls 23 and 29 are each provided with a stud or projection 28 and 29, which in their inward position, as shown in Fig. 1, rest upon a shield 31'. forms the end of an upwardly extending arm 31, which has its hub 31 loosely mounted on the shaft 21, and located hetwecn the ratchet wheels 22, and 23, see Fig. 3. An car 31", which extends from the hub 31 of the arm 31, has pivotally connected thereto the lower end of an upwardly extending connector, or rod 32. upper end of said rod 32 is adjustably connected to the swivel head 33, which, through bolt 34, is pivotally mounted onthe end of an arm 3, which in this instance, is centrally lo catcd, and pivotally mounted on a bolt 37, which loosely extends through .the disk 36,

and a circular portion 38 on a stand 38,

which is secured to a bracket 39 mounted on the loom side 1.

ll. helically coiled expansion spring 40 en circles the bolt 37 and acts to yieldingly press the friction disk 36 against the cir-; cular portion 38, which in this instance is a downwardly extending arm 43, which has, its hub 43 secured on the end of the whip The shield 31" The The arm 35 extends out wardly from ,the friction disk 36, see Fig.

A weight 36 on the.

roll shaft 9. Another arm 44 extends hori zontally-l-rom the hub 43, and has adjustably connected thereto the downward ex tending rod 45, which is suitably guided in a stand 46 on the loom side 1.

A helically coiled expansion spring 47 encircles the rod 45, and bears at its upper end against the stand 46, and at its lower end against the hub of a hand wheel 48, which is secured on the end of the rod 45. The spring 47 acts, through arm 44 on the shaft 9, to move upwardly the arm 8, and the whip roll 7, against the strain of the warp (3.

The change of the tension on the warp 6 will move up or down the whip roll 7 and the lever 8, and through the rocking motion of the arm 43 on the shaft 9, the end 43 of said arm 43, will engage one or the other of the set screws 42, to turn the friction disk 36, and to move up or down the arm 35 on said disk 36, and move the pawl shield. 31 through the connector Said disk 36 prevents the unsteady movement of the pawl shield 31'.

As shown in Fig. 2, the whip roll 7 has a tendency to move upwardly by the diminished tension on the warp. The arm engages, in this instance, the set screw 42, at the right,Fig. 1,andcauses the arm 35 on the friction disk 36 to move upwardly. Through intermediate connections to the arm 31, the shield 31 will move to the left in Fig. .2, to allow the pawl 28 on the arm 24 to drop and engage the teeth on the ratchet wheel to turn said ratchet wheel 22 and the worm 20, and the shaft 21, and cause, through the worm gear 19, the spring 18 on the drum 13 to be tightened. The lowering of the whip roll 7 causes the shield 31 to be moved in the opposite direction, and allows the pawl 29 to drop, to engage the ratchet wheel 23, which, through the revolving of the worm 20, will turn the worm gear 19 in the opposite direction, to loosen the tension of the spring 18, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In Figs. 5 and 6 are shown a modified con struction of my warp tension regulator, in which a weight is used instead 01 a spring.

I will now describe said modified cdnstruction. Instead of having the drum 13 rigidly connected with a worm gear 19, a sprocket wheel 49 is fast on the hub 19 of the worm gear 19. A sprocket chain 50 passes around the sprocket wheel 49, and across the loom, then around a second sprocket wheel 51, see Fig. 5, which is loosely mounted on a stud 52 on the stand 11 on the opposite loom side. The upper portion ofthe sprocket chain ZiO 11215 connected thereto, at the left in Fig. 5, by a lug or extension 53', a weight carrier .53, and at the right the lowerportion ot the sprocket chain 50 is connected, by a projection or lug 54', with the weight carrier 54.

'The Weight carriers 53 and 54 have weights thereon. The weight carrier 53 has a roll 56 mounted on a stud 57, and adapted to travel along the upper edge of a weight lever 58, as the sprocket wheel 49 is revolved. The weight lever 58 has its hub 58 pivotally mounted on a stud 59. A link 60 has its lower end pivotally connected to the weight lever 58, and its upper end to an intermediate lever 61, which has its hub 61 pivotally mounted on a stud 62. The intermediate lever 61 has suitably connected therewith the rope or cord 5, which is wound around the friction disk 4. The other weight carrier 5% is provided with a roll 63, loosely mounted on a stud 66L, and is adapted to travel along the upper edge of a weight lever 65, which has its hub pivotally mounted on a stud 66. A link 67 has its lower end pivotally connected to the weight lever 65, and its upper end connected to an intermediate lever 68, which has its hub pivotally mounted on a stud 69. The intermediate lever 68 has suitably connected thereto the rope or cord 5, which is wound around the friction disk on the opposite end of the warp beam, not shown.

As is above described, and shown in Fig. 2, the whip roll 7 moves upwardly by the diminished tension of the warp, through the operating parts abovedescribed; the shaft 21, and the worm 20 will be turned and cause, through the sprocket wheel i9 and the chain 50 thereon, either one of the weight carriers 53 or 54, on the weight levers 58 and 56, to move inwardly, to cause the tension on the ropes 5 and 5 to be increased.

The lowering of the whip roll 7 causes, through the operation of the ratchet wheel 23, and through the revolution of the worm 20, the worm gear 19 and the sprocket wheel 49 to be turned in the opposite direction, and the weight carrier 57 and the weight carrier 58 to be moved outwardly, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that the details of construction of my improvements may be varied if desired. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a let off mechanism for looms, a beam having a friction surface, a whip roll or bar over which the warppasses from said beam, a rope acting on said friction surface to retard the rotation of said beam, 21 tension device for said rope, and mechanism, controlled by the movement of said'whip roll, to automatically regulate the action of said tension device, said mechanism com-1 prising two ratchets, a pawl for each ratchet and means to operate said pawl, a pawl shield, and connections intermediate said pawl shield and said whip roll, said connections including a friction disk device to transmit the movement of said whip roll to said pawl shield, and normally hold said shield in'a fixed position.

2. In a let off mechanism for looms, a beam having a friction surface, a whip roll or bar over which the warp passes from said beam, a rope acting on said friction surface to retard the rotation of said beam, a drum loosely mounted on a stud to which drum said rope is attached, a ratchet on said drum, a hand lever carrying a pawl for rotating said ratchet, and a holdfast pawl for said ratchet, a torsion spring on said drum, attached at one end to move with said drum, and attached at its other end to a worm gear, and said worm gear loosely mounted on said stud, a worm in mesh with said form gear, fast on a horizontal shaft, and said horizontal shaft, looselymounted in bearings, and two ratchet wheels fast on said shaft, having teeth extending in opposite directions, and a lever loosely mounted on said shaft, a connector from said lever to communicate a rocking motion to said lever, two pawls mounted on the upper end of said lever to engage said ratchet wheels, respectively, a shield to engage said pawls, connections intermediate said shield and a friction disk, and said disk, and connections intermediate said disk and the roll over which the warppasses, the up and down movement of said roll causing the movement of said pawl shield.

HENRY BARDSLEY.

Witnesses:

E. H. Bron, FRANK L. HOWLAND.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents Washington, I). G. 

